Early Files

50 years ago
May 10, 1962Band director named
Lynn Looper, 27-year-old director of the Greenville High School Band, has been appointed to lead the new Marion County High School’s band that will be organized this fall. Mrs. Ralph Abner, former director of the local band and now vocal music instructor in the county schools, will assist in the preliminary organization this summer of the new band.

50 years ago
Feb. 1, 196216 cases hepatitis
Sixteen cases of infectious hepatitis, an inflammation of the liver known as jaundice, have been reported in Marion County since January 1, it was learned last week from officials of the Marion County Health Department.
However, physicians report most cases of the ailment as “mild.”

Church damaged
A conflagration attributed to spontaneous combustion caused damage estimated at $75 to St. Augustine’s Catholic Church in this city last Friday afternoon.
The blaze, discovered among oily rags, mops and dust cloths in a closet just off the vestibule in the entrance to the church, had gained but slight headway when the fire department arrived.

25 years ago
Dec. 24, 1986
Farming out prisoners
Marion County Fiscal Court granted County Judge-Executive Abell Thomas the authority on Saturday to check into contracting with another county for the housing of Marion County’s prisoners.
The court gave the authority to Thomas in light of recent discussions about the possibility of closing the Marion County Jail. Thomas was instructed by the court to gather figures on how much it would cost the county to have prisoners in some other jail and to determine if facilities are available to hold them.

75 years ago
Dec. 18, 1936
100,000th barrel rolled out
A celebration among officials and employees alike was held at the John A. Wathen Distillery Company here last week when the 100,000th barrel of whiskey, made since the repeal of the 18 Amendment, was capped. The barrel, numbered 100, 000, was sealed in the presence of the group and for photographic purposes was then rolled to the outdoors where it was placed alongside the first barrel of liquor manufactured in the local plant, almost three years ago.